International Intersession Opportunities 2018

Students enjoy their time in London, England during the 2014 Intersession course

According to Professor Dan Shaw, travel is necessary for a well-rounded education.

Fortunately for those seeking to enhance their scholastic experience, a lack of educational opportunities abroad is not a problem at Washington & Jefferson College.

Keeping with the tradition of past academic years, students will be given an option of joining a traveling Intersession course, a three-week term between the fall and spring semesters in which highly-focused courses are taught in various locations around the world.

Drs. Lori Galley and John Gregor of the business department are offering a course titled “Selling of the Seas.”

Students wishing to participate in this intersession will embark on a journey to Australia and New Zealand, where they will be observing the service industry and its effects on business.

Through the application of the concepts mentioned in the book “Setting the Table – What the Business World Can Learn from the Service Industry,” students will analyze case studies ranging from Disney to Costa Concordia to determine their respective successes and failures.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to visit several “Lord of the Rings” sites, including Hobbiton.

Shaw, who is a professor in the communication arts department, is continuing one of the oldest ongoing college travel opportunities through “London eatre.”

Those attending this Intersession will spend eighteen days examining theatre production and history in London, England, the theatre capital of the world. By attending eleven productions in London’s most renowned theaters and touring important landmarks, students will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the concepts discussed in the classroom.

“I chose the London Intersession because I love theatre and have always wanted to go abroad,” said Katherine Starr ’20 of her decision to join this upcoming trip. “I expect to gain a more global perspective as well as a new confidence to travel abroad.”

Also leading Intersession trips to Europe are Drs. Danielle Ficco and Jennifer Sweatman who are traveling together to Paris, France.

Ficco will be instructing “On Display: The Commodification, Power and Resistance of Women’s Bodies.”

This course will examine the cultures of Paris, specifcally displays of women’s bodies in art, fashion, media and performance.

Through the visiting of museums, monuments, cathedrals and neighborhoods, students participating in this Intersession will determine the social and political attitudes regarding gender, power and sexuality that are influenced by bodily representation.

Students attending Sweatman’s “Cultures of Paris” Intersession trip will explore various museums and institutions that display arts from overseas and those representative of different cultures.

The controversies and debates that have arisen from the creation of these museums will be discussed, and students will be exposed to the diverse human achievements on display from across human history.

Just across the border in Italy, Dr. HJ Manzari will be leading “Made in Italy: Contemporary Italian Culture.” This course will provide students the opportunity to analyze the major trends and movements of Italian history and culture since the culmination of World War Two. The themes of this course will include the Resistance, postwar Italian politics, mass and popular culture, representations of gender, social movements, film, literature, art, music and the new multicultural society.

To investigate these concepts, students will be visiting the cities of Florence, Pisa, Padova, Siena, Venice, Rome and Torino, among others.

Through extensive visits to various African cities, towns and villages, students participating in Dr. Buba Misawa’s “Politics and Society in West Africa” Intersession will gain insight into African political and social systems.

Through a combination of both service and learning, students attending Dr. Katherine Ternes’ “Intersession in Nicaragua: From Cultural Journeys to Global Connections” will certainly be granted their own unique experience.

Those participating in this trip will be traveling to Nicaragua, where they will be staying with a host family, improving their Spanish through language lessons and enjoying history and culture.

In addition, students will be volunteering at Casa Xalteva, a non-profit Spanish language school and educational shelter dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children.

“Vivid memories of all three ISL groups and what they experienced as individual and service teams continue to influence how I teach and how I see our world,” Ternes said of her experiences. “In fact, the unpredictability of how each individual is affected is what I love most about leading it!”

Mario Tiberie ’20, a former participant in the Nicaraguan Intersession, labeled his experience as “life-changing,” explaining how the students volunteered in teaching English to schoolchildren, interacted with their host families, explored the town of Grenada and enjoyed cultural excursions such as hiking volcanoes or going to the beach.

The remaining travel Intersessions being offered include “The American War in Vietnam” lead by Dr. David Kiernan, “Greece: The Olive Branch and the Sea” taught by Dr. Cathy Petchel and “Engaging the Sonoran Border” instructed by Dr. Jason Kilgore.

W&J students are encouraged to participate in the various traveling Intersessions mentioned above.

To obtain additional information, interested students should contact the professor(s) leading the trip.